Neglected books: it happens to the best of us. We get all hyped for a new release or a book we’ve added to our tbrs, and then somehow it falls by the wayside. I am very, very guilty of this: my tbr is always growing and I tend to get more excited for shiny new releases than the ones already sitting on my Kindle. I am a huge mood reader so I find it really hard to stick to any sort of reading list, no matter how big. As soon as I think “I should read this” my brain goes into “I do what I want!!” mood and I end up passing on books I really, really wanted to read. I do (somehow) get to many of my most-anticipated books, but still some slip through the cracks. Let’s take a look at some of them, shall we?

The Muse, by Jessie Burton. This is probably the most understandable book on the list, because I don’t find the plot summary interesting at all. In fact it comes across as really dull to me and if I was basing it on the blurb alone it wouldn’t get anywhere near my tbr. But I loved Burton’s first novel. The atmosphere of The Miniaturist was just enthralling! The Muse has been on my tbr for ages (it was published in 2016, sigh) and I swore to myself that I would get to it in 2017. Whoops… maybe this year?

The Queen of the Night, by Alexander Chee. Just look at that cover. Drool-worthy. And the plot! Historical fiction about an opera singer with ~secrets~ and someone ends up writing an opera about her own life? And asks her to star in it? Juicy AND meta. This ticks off so many boxes of things I love but let’s be real, it is MASSIVE. Almost 600 pages. And while I do love long books, it’s hard for me to start one when I don’t know the author. I’m thinking of buddy reading this one with my mom, so hopefully that will give me some much-needed motivation.

Homegoing, by Yaa Gyasi. I read a lot of literary prize longlists and I really like to go through them in big chunks. So if there’s a lot of buzz around a book and people think it’s going to get a nomination, I tend to avoid it until that finally happens. Homegoing was the buzziest of buzzy books: it was predicted to be on the Bailey’s, Man Booker, National Book Award, and a few others. Yet it made none of those lists in 2016 OR 2017! Meaning… I avoided it for no reason. And once I was swept up in prize reading I honestly didn’t have time for this poor little book. It’s been sitting on my Kindle for a year and a half just waiting patiently to get read.

Strange the Dreamer, by Laini Taylor. You probably know that I’m not a big Young Adult reader. At all. I avoid it like the plague, actually, because I have had so many bad experiences in the genre. Yet I adore Daughter of Smoke & Bone series, and was highly anticipating Taylor’s next release. Why didn’t I read it? It’s so chunky, and reviews seem very mixed! That seems to be the theme here, right? Either I’m not sure about the plot or it’s a really long book. Strange the Dreamer happens to have both of these “flaws.”

October, by China Mieville. This is absolutely the most shocking addition to my list. I’m honestly embarrassed by myself: Mieville is hands-down my favorite author and I’ve read all of his books. So why did I skip this one?? Well first off it’s historical nonfiction so I found myself a bit intimidated. I also wanted to read it in October, yet I only read horror in October so… that didn’t happen. I love his writing so this honestly isn’t a book I need to be in the “mood” for yet I’ve convinced myself that it just isn’t the “right time.” Bullshit! Get it together, Leah! I will absolutely read this one in 2018. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

So there you have it! 5 books I swore upside down and sideways I’d read in 2017 but just didn’t get to. Funnily enough, The Familiar Vol 5 was going to be #1 for me on this list but I read it first thing in 2018. So there is hope for these poor, lonely books!

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Neglected books: it happens to the best of us. We get all hyped for a new release or a book we’ve added to our tbrs, and then somehow it falls by the wayside. I am very, very guilty of this: my tbr is always growing and I tend to get more excited for shiny new […]

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